How Do I Know if I’m Having an Asthma Attack?

Common asthma warning signs like difficulty breathing and wheezing could quickly turn into an all-out asthma attack if you fail to take the necessary steps at the right time. Knowing the early symptoms of an asthma attack could help make certain that you prevent it from progressing to a full-blown attack.

Is This an Asthma Attack?

In general, asthma attacks typically starts when common warning signs rapidly get worse. The AAAAI, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, states that these warning signs usually include the following:

Difficulty breathing

Wheezing

Extreme fatigue

A significant tightening in the chest

Significant back pain

Coughing fits during early morning or at nighttime

Waking up and having difficulty breathing

If you experience these symptoms more frequently and they become more severe, you’re probably suffering from an asthma attack that could be life-threatening if unaddressed as soon as possible.

If you reach the point where you become incapable of breathing while speaking or walking, you need to call 911 or head to the emergency room for proper treatment. According to asthma sufferers, an asthma attack basically feels that you are trying your best to breathe, but it’s like breathing underwater.

You can’t take in sufficient air, add to that the constant wheezing and coughing, making your chest and back feel tight and heavy, so you feel very fatigued overall.

Can I Prevent an Asthma Attack?

The best defense against asthma attacks is to try and prevent them from happening in the first place. You could do this by eliminating triggers and taking your medications as instructed by your doctor.

If you experience asthma symptoms that don’t go away after two days or one week or are waking up due to asthma symptoms twice in a month, you need to take medications as soon as possible. These medicines, controller medications and rescue OTC bronchodilator medications might help prevent attacks.